


in sickness and in health, til death do us part

by eg1701



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve is sick, Talk of Dying, Weddings, What else is new, also, kinda of an au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:09:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eg1701/pseuds/eg1701
Summary: in 1940, they get married, who cares what the government has to say about it, because life is short, and sometimes you want to marry your best friend more than anything else





	in sickness and in health, til death do us part

**Author's Note:**

> I have been on an MCU kick all summer, and I needed to do something about it, and apparently what I needed to do was write this wedding fic about steve and bucky

_1940_  
Even though it was the middle of spring, Steve still got sick. Bucky had let his guard down, because the fall and winter were the more dangerous time of the year. This would teach him to pay more attention.  


By the time he saw Steve getting pale, and coughing more than his usual cough, Steve was already sick. Bucky fussed, because he didn’t know how to help. A doctor was called after a few days, and Steve was diagnosed with Pneumonia.  


“Couldn’t even get a new sickness,” Bucky muttered, as he dug around for another blanket, “Same one every damn year.”  


Steve chuckled, but it turned into a cough. Bucky tried not to let Steve see his wincing.  


“Lay down,” Bucky ordered, spreading the blanket out on the bed, “You have to rest.”  


“I’m alright.”  


Bucky shook his head, “Get in the bed, and lay the hell down. I’m getting you some water, and you’re gonna shut up so you don’t cough anymore Jesus Christ, it's like talking to a child.”

“You can go to sleep Buck,” Steve had said on the second night. His breathing had gotten worse as that days went by, and Bucky couldn’t seem to bring his fever down. Steve was getting worse, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Bucky wasn’t going to sleep, that was for sure.  


Steve was sick all the time. This wasn’t new, but it wasn’t as frequent that Steve was this bad. The last time, Steve had been seventeen, a year or so before Sarah died. Bucky had stayed up, and when Sarah had gone to get the priest. Bucky had never been so scared in his life. Was that what this would be?  


Bucky didn’t want to think about that.  


“Your Ma knew about me,” Bucky said. It was nearly one in the morning, and the only sounds came from the dark street outside, and their breathing. Bucky couldn’t tell if Steve was sleeping, but he was acutely aware of the rise and fall of his chest. It was ragged, and slow, but it was there, and that was what Bucky would focus on, “Knew that I had feelings for you. She told me, one night, when you were sick. I was scared when she brought it up. Thought she would throw me out and ask me to never come back. She didn’t though. She smiled at me, then at you. I’ll never forget what she said, she said ‘James, my boy deserves somebody to love him, through sickness and in health and if you can do that, then I’m happy.’ I asked her if she thought maybe you felt the same way. I didn’t want to mess with our friendship you know? She just kinda smiled, and didn’t answer. Guess she knew ‘bout you too.”  


“She did,” Steve said, his voice hoarse from coughing, “She never said it but she did.”  


“You should be sleeping,” Bucky said.  


Steve waved a hand, “I’m not dyin’. Not tonight at least.”

“I think you’re stayin’ alive cause there’s still people out there who haven’t kicked your ass,” Bucky said. It was nearing five in the morning now. Steve had been drifting in and out of sleep, and his fever had finally broken about an hour ago, and his coughing wasn’t as frequent.  


Steve smiled, “I think we should get married Buck.”  


“Oh yeah? You know about a new law I haven’t heard of?”  


Steve shook his head, “Who cares about the law?”  


Bucky laughed and pressed a kiss to Steve’s palm, “Given the way you handle things, not you. But go on. Tell me about this wedding I never agreed to.”  


“We don’t need rings or anything. We’ll just get dressed up and we’ll say the words right here in the living room.”  
“Hmm,” Bucky pretended to consider this, “Do we need witnesses?”  


Steve drew a shaky breath, coughed, and shook his head, “Nah. Just us.”  


“So we’ll say some vows, promise to love each other forever and ever, kiss and then that’s it?”  


Steve nodded, “Isn’t that how it’s done?”  


“What brought this on Stevie?”  


They sat there quietly for a moment. Steve didn’t seem to want to answer, but Bucky wasn’t going to budge.  


Steve looked down, “Everytime I get sick like this I wonder if maybe this is it.”  


“Steve don’t talk about that.”  


“I mean it. Look at my Ma. She was healthy, and couldn’t shake it. I’m a lot worse off than her. One of these days, I’m gonna get sick, or something I already have is gonna get just a little worse and that’s gonna be the end. You know it too Buck. We like to talk about growin’ old and all but that’s the facts.”  


“And so you want to get married.”  


Steve nodded, “Do you?”  


“Stevie, I’ve never wanted anything more.”

It took four more days for Steve to be well enough to really start doing things again, and in that time, two nice suits were found in the apartment, and funds were pooled to buy some half dead flowers, and an evening at Coney Island was planned, because it was cheap, and they had to have a honeymoon didn’t they?  


They stood in the living room, hand in hand. It was not a wedding that either of them had ever thought of before, not the kind of wedding they’d heard about before, but it seemed to work. For them, it was enough.  


The vows were short, and mainly jabs at each other, and how cheesy the whole thing was, but they promised for richer for poorer- “that richer can come any day now” Steve had said- and in sickness and in health. "That part's just for me Stevie," Bucky had said, "You only gotta deal with the health part."  


“Til the end of the line right?” Bucky said, and in one motion, he’d pulled Steve into a kiss, and declared them married in everything but the law.  


“Til the end of the line Buck,” Steve muttered, his hand brushing Bucky’s jaw, “I’m gonna hold you to that.”  


“I’m not the one fist fighting guys who are twice my size. If anything I’m holding you to it. Come on,” Bucky threw an arm around Steve’s shoulder, laughing, “We have a date.”

_2018_  
“Well,” Steve said, hands on his hips, “We never were ones for the traditional wedding.”  


Bucky laughed, “To be fair, Shuri says this was a traditional wedding.”  


“I never thought that a government- albeit a government of a different country, in a world where we’re both criminals- but a government nonetheless would recognize our marriage.”  


“And that the leader of said country would be a friend,” Bucky held out his hand and Steve took it, sitting down on the ground as well. The sun was getting ready to rise, and Steve knew he’d have to go soon. He couldn’t stay, and Bucky knew that, but since their wedding three days ago, they hadn’t mentioned it. There hadn’t been any pressing concerns, but something had just come up- something always came up.  


“Soon enough, we’ll be able to do this every day,” Steve said, nodding towards the horizon.  


“You done getting your ass handed to you?” Bucky raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Doesn’t sound like you.”  


“I’m ready to retire. Give the shield to Sam. I think he could do it- think he _would_ do it. I wanted to help people you know? But I think Captain America can continue to do that, even if Steve Rogers disappears to live quietly with his husband. I don’t think the world will mind. I don’t really care if they do. I’ve done enough.”  


Bucky brushed his thumb across the back of Steve’s hand, know, “Where are you headed now?” He knew Steve was avoiding the topic, but he could always tell when Steve needed to go. It was easier to just ask, rather than watch Steve avoid the topic all together.  


“Scotland. I’ve gotta check in with Vision and Wanda anyway and I got a weird call from Nat, something’s up. I’m sure it’s nothing.”  


Bucky nodded, “Just come back to me soon ok?”  


“Don’t I always,” Steve stood, but leaned down to kiss him, “I love you.”  


“I love you too.”  


“I’ll see you soon. I promise. I’m sure it’s nothing, but if Wanda’s in trouble-”  


“I know. Go. I’ll be right here. We’re really married now, so it’s legally til death do us part now. Your mother would not approve of a divorce.”  


Steve laughed, though Bucky thought his laughs weren’t as light as they used to be. He supposed after everything, it was hard to really laugh anymore. Maybe one day they could start to resemble those people who had stood in that living room. They couldn’t ever be the same- the Steve and Bucky then were dead and gone- but they could be something similar. When their worries had been financial, and Steve’s health. Not the fate of the world, or the punishments that would befall them if they were caught by the government. Maybe one day they’d worry over their friends and if it was going to rain. Bucky wouldn’t mind worries like that.  


“This is going to be over soon,” Steve said, kissing him again, “I can feel it. You and I are gonna be real domestic now.”  


“Get out of here you punk, or I’m dragging you back inside and you aren’t leaving til I say so.”  


“I’ll call you. It’s nothing. I doubt I’ll be gone long at all.”  


“Go Stevie. I’m alright.”  


“When this is done,” Steve was pulling on bits of gear, while Bucky watched, “Not just this trip, but all of this, and we’re not outlaws anymore, we’re gonna go to Coney Island. I’m sure everything costs more now, but we’re gonna go, and when people ask us what we’re celebrating, we’ll say we just got married.”  


Bucky smiled.  


Steve closed his eyes briefly, and ingrained the image into his mind. He didn’t know that in less than a week, he wouldn’t be clinging to every mental picture he had. He couldn’t know that- couldn’t have any idea. If he did, he might just peel his gear off again, put on something comfortable and pull Bucky into bed with him. Might shut his eyes, and bury his face in Bucky’s shirt and drown out everything that wasn’t the four walls of their hut, and sound of Bucky’s heartbeat, and the feel of the grass underfoot when they stepped outside.  


But he knew none of that. He smiled, and kissed Bucky again, and left.


End file.
